ThromboGenics eye drug cleared for U.S. launch

ThromboGenics has said that health regulators have approved eye treatment Jetrea for use in the United States,Reuters reports.

The Belgian biopharmaceutical company says that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the drug -- previously only used in two multi-center trials conducted in the U.S. and Europe involving 652 patients -- to treat symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion.

Symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion is an aging-related condition where the vitreous gel of an eye adheres to the retina abnormally. Once an eye ages, the vitreous often separates from the retina, but if it is abnormal, this can result in pulling on the retina that can cause loss or distortion of vision.

Currently, the only treatment is surgical, and Jetrea is the first drug aimed at tacking the condition non-evasively.

Founded in 1991, the firm hopes that now it has been given permission to enter the U.S. market, profits can once again be secured -- as ThromboGenics last made a substantial profit in 2008 after developing a cancer-fighting antibody.

ThromboGenics plans to launch Jetrea in the United States in January 2013.